Theresa May hints at social care manifesto pledge as she says 'we can't duck the issue'

Theresa May has given the strongest signal yet that she will unveil a long-term plan for social care in the Conservative manifesto as she admitted the Government can no longer "duck the issue".

In a campaign speech in South Wales, the Prime Minister said she and her team had been “working on a long-term solution” to the problem of paying for the needs of an ageing population.

Mrs May has ruled out a so-called “death tax” to pay for social care, but among the policies she has been urged to consider is a “social insurance” scheme, similar to National Insurance but payable by the over-40s for life.

Theresa May speaks to Welsh voters in Brigend

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Mrs May has been urged by members of her party to “grasp the nettle” of social care and put forward a bold new funding plan in her manifesto to give the Tories a mandate to address the issue.

Mrs May told an audience in Bridgend, a Labour stronghold the party hopes to win in June, that while extra money had been allocated to social care in the spring budget, “we need to stop ducking the issue.

“We are and have been already working on a long term solution and that’s what we need in this country. We need to ensure we have got that long term solution for a sustainable future for social care.”

The Prime Minister refused to divulge whether social care funding would appear in the manifesto, which will be published in early May.

But a Conservative source told The Daily Telegraph: “Life expectancy is increasing by five hours every single day - that sums up the scale of the demographic problem we are facing.

“Governments have been putting their heads in the sand and haven’t been realistic about how to fund it.

“A number of policies have been suggested to Downing Street, among them a form of social insurance that people over 40 would pay for life, including as pensioners if they have a certain level of income. It would not be right for young people, who have not benefited from the property boom and who are having to pay off student loans, to have to bear the burden.

“Everyone wants more funding for social care and no-one wants to pay for it. No-one knows what the Prime Minister will say in the manifesto, but if she wins the election with an increased majority she could use that mandate to push through a new funding model.”

The King's Fund, a health-focused think tank, called on all parties to pledge extra funding and more investment in training for the NHS and social care.

Chris Ham, the chief executive, said it was vital that the “parties do not constrain themselves by making commitments on tax and spending that make it impossible to do what is needed to sustain and improve health and social care”.

He added: "The true test of the manifestos will be their willingness to confront these issues and engage the public in a grown-up conversation about the balance between public and private responsibilities in a society in which the needs of all are valued and met fairly."